Progressives will “always insist on Vučić being PM”

BELGRADE Ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) deputy leader Igor Mirovic says the party will always insist that its President Aleksandar Vucic should become a PM. “A session of the SNS Main Board will be held in late March, but, because of the gravity of the topics that will be discussed, however, the exact date has not yet been determined, and one of the topics will be a possible reconstruction of the Serbian government, or initiatives for new elections,” he added. Progressives will “always insist on Vucic being PM” According to the SNS official, there are three possible options - a full continuity of government with some minor changes in the cabinet, a serious reshuffle that would replace a number of ministers from the SNS and other parties of the ruling coalition - and early parliamentary elections. "All three possibilities are theoretically and practically possible and enforceable in 2013," Mirovic told Belgrade-based daily Danas. "It is early to speak which option we will choose, and after analyzing all the information we will offer our coalition partners one of the three options," he said. In terms of any change of premiership, Mirovic said the Progressives would always insist that Vucic should become prime minister. "This commitment of ours is permanent and it should not be a novelty for anyone, because this is common in democratic practice, primarily because we have the largest number of seats and a majority of cabinet members. Whether this issue will be opened in discussions on the reconstruction, I cannot say now. After all, not everything depends on us," the SNS deputy leader stated. He pointed out there were two factors for which the SNS was raising this issue now - continuous growth of the SNS' rating and improvement of the personal rating of Vucic. "However, we do not build relations with coalition partners based on ultimatums and orders. Something that is proposed as a topic for dialogue cannot spoil relations within the coalition," Mirovic noted. The coalition government consists of the SNS, the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) and the United Regions of Serbia (URS). Igor Mirovic (Tanjug) Tanjug

Progressives will “always insist on Vučić being PM”

According to the SNS official, there are three possible options - a full continuity of government with some minor changes in the cabinet, a serious reshuffle that would replace a number of ministers from the SNS and other parties of the ruling coalition - and early parliamentary elections.

"All three possibilities are theoretically and practically possible and enforceable in 2013," Mirović told Belgrade-based daily Danas.

"It is early to speak which option we will choose, and after analyzing all the information we will offer our coalition partners one of the three options," he said.

In terms of any change of premiership, Mirović said the Progressives would always insist that Vučić should become prime minister.

"This commitment of ours is permanent and it should not be a novelty for anyone, because this is common in democratic practice, primarily because we have the largest number of seats and a majority of cabinet members. Whether this issue will be opened in discussions on the reconstruction, I cannot say now. After all, not everything depends on us," the SNS deputy leader stated.

He pointed out there were two factors for which the SNS was raising this issue now - continuous growth of the SNS' rating and improvement of the personal rating of Vučić.

"However, we do not build relations with coalition partners based on ultimatums and orders. Something that is proposed as a topic for dialogue cannot spoil relations within the coalition," Mirović noted.

The coalition government consists of the SNS, the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) and the United Regions of Serbia (URS).